Missing In Action
by luvinNaley7413
Summary: Marines are forced to leave their loved ones behind in order to protect our nation. When Troy decided to do this after East High, he made Gabi a promise. Facing such a painful and hard situation, will their love survive? Will Troy and Gabriella survive?
1. Chapter 1

Gabriella Montez is a middle school history teacher, and was chosen to attend the 8th grade field trip to Washington D.C. She was excited about going and planned to enjoy every minute of it, hoping to get her mind off the hardships she's been dealing with. Because over the passed few weeks, she has been wondering if the man she loves is still alive.

You see, her boyfriend Troy Bolton is a Marine, and he's been deployed for almost a year. On top of the stress of him being deployed, Gabriella found out that he was declared missing in action three weeks ago after an attack on the base that he was stationed at.

Just like any of Troy's loved ones, she was extremely upset when she received this information, and was worried about his health and safety. She hasn't been sleeping very well and has been worrying nonstop about him since she found out.

Over the first two days of the trip, she along with two other teachers, four parents, and 60 8th graders enjoyed the sights of our nation's capital. The students had plenty of questions for their teacher, their tour guide, and the employees at the different museums and monuments that they went to. Gabriella smiled softly, proud of the teenagers that she had taught for the whole year, seeing their curiosity first hand.

One of the highlights for the class was the first night in Washington D.C., when they went on a Dinner Cruise that allowed them to see most of the monuments and sights at night, when they were all lit up. The kids chattered nonstop about how amazing the city looked at night, and marveled at how different the entire atmosphere was once the sun went down. They then enjoyed a nice meal, and spent a few hours dancing to the music being played by the DJ on the boat.

On the second night, they took a ride around the streets of Washington D.C., and saw all of the buildings lit up and were able to see some of the local citizens buzzing around the streets. This allowed the students to also enjoy the change in atmosphere that came with sunset in a big city, as the locals enjoyed the weekend night and the entertainment that the city offered them.

As the last day of the trip arrived, the class got onto the bus after eating breakfast and started chatting about their first stop of the day, The Lincoln Memorial. After a short bus ride, which was extended slightly due to the morning traffic in the city, they reached the memorial, and began exiting the bus in order to enjoy the short time they would spend there.

The kids raced up the huge sea of steps before they reached the top of the monument, and were able to look and see a great distance from the height they were at. She laughed a little when she started walking up the stairs, and heard them saying something about how exhausting it must be to work here, having to go up and down the steps multiple times a day, along with dealing with tourists.

Gabriella went up as well, and smiled as several students were looking around in amazement. Some were enjoying the view of the reflecting pool, which you could see the Washington Monument in, and the long distance view that extended in every direction.

She grinned when she saw their eyes studying their surroundings, looking in every corner and even staring at the ceiling. Their eyes were taking in every little detail they could find, committing it to memory.

"If you look up at the left side of his head, you can see a face in the sculpting of his hair. It's the face of John Wilkes Booth." She told them. She laughed a little to herself as a bunch of them scrambled over to the side of the statute their teacher was talking about. She smiled, standing near them as they looked hard for the face in the former president's hair.

As they scanned the sculpting of the president's hair for the face that their teacher spoke of, one of the kids suddenly questioned who the person they were looking for was. "Isn't that the guy that killed him?" He asked, looking over at Gabriella for confirmation of his question.

Gabriella laughed a little, and a couple of people who were also admiring the monument looked impressed at the young boy's knowledge. "Yeah, that's who killed him." She replied, smiling at the teen. After a few minutes, the kids found the face of John Wilkes Booth in Lincoln's sculpted hair.

After another twenty minutes of looking around the building and the surrounding area, as well as taking pictures of everything they were seeing, the students, teachers, and chaperones made their way back to the bus, preparing to head to their next destination.

As the day went on, Gabriella plastered the fake smile on that she's been showing for the entire trip, hoping that it was convincing everyone around her. After going to the Lincoln Memorial, they went to the Marines Memorial, and Gabriella sighed to herself because she knew that this was going to be difficult for her.

She stood, with her arms crossed in front of her chest, staring at the monument with sad eyes. One of the teachers who went on the trip noticed the sad look on Gabriella's face, and went over to her.

She stood next to her for a minute without speaking, before squeezing her arm softly before walking away to leave her to her thoughts. There were no words for her to offer the younger woman, knowing that the pain she was dealing with was far stronger than anything she herself had gone through.

A few minutes later, another teacher came up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in comfort. "He's going to be okay." She whispered, hugging her friend close to her. Gabriella sighed, knowing that it was obvious what she was thinking about.

Gabriella nodded, wiping the tears that she didn't realize were falling before anyone saw them. "I hope you're right." She whispered, walking closer to the monument. Her thoughts were completely consumed with the idea of Troy not coming home, and she just couldn't take it anymore.

One of the parents that was on the trip noticed how sad Gabriella looked as she stared at the monument. She saw the tears that Gabriella was fighting back, and became concerned about the young woman.

As Gabriella stared up at the faces that were permanently sculpted into the stone, she wondered if their faces would sooner or later recognize Troy for giving his life for his country, for his friends, for the people he worked with over there. She wondered, with a small ball of worry growing in her stomach, if this was going to be the only thing that would represent Troy. If other people would forget about that poor Marine who was missing in action, who died and was never found. Would they forget about him, about his family who was missing him, hoping that there was some kind of miracle that would bring him back?

After a few moments of these thoughts polluting her mind, Gabriella just shook her head to herself, trying to control her thoughts and emotions.

The mother who noticed how sad Gabriella was walked over to one of the teachers, her worry getting the best of her as she continued to watch the young woman closely. "Is she okay?" She wondered, pointing at Gabriella, who was still standing in the same position, studying the faces of the statues in the memorial.

The teacher, who was just comforting Gabriella, nodded a little before explaining what was going on. "Her boyfriend is a Marine." She began, already able to see the understanding in the mother's eyes before she even learned the rest of the heartbreaking story.

With a soft sigh, she continued speaking. "He was deployed about a year ago, and was reported Missing in Action about two weeks ago. She's been hanging on, but I don't know for how much longer." She explained, seeing the mother's emotion filled eyes.

The teacher saw the emotion that twisted through the parent, her heart breaking at the thought of this young man dying, leaving behind loved ones. "That's horrible." She breathed, her hand resting on her chest.

The teacher, Erica, nodded. "But don't say anything to her, she's really struggling with being here on top of all of the added stress that she's dealing with not knowing if her boyfriend is alive." She added, seeing the slight nod that came from the parent.

The mother nodded, before walking over to where there was a group of kids standing and laughing. Erica looked back at Gabriella, feeling something in her stomach turn at the thought of what would be left of this lively young woman if Troy was killed. All she could do was hope that Troy would come home unharmed.

"Okay guys, we have one more stop before we head to the Hard Rock Cafe!" The tour guide called, gathering everyone's attention.

Gabriella knew where they were going next, and wasn't sure if she would be able to keep herself together here. Arlington National Cemetery. The thought that she may be back here within the next few months to bury Troy was growing in the back of her head.

She held back the tears that burned in her eyes at the pure pain it brought to her heart to even think of something like that taking place so soon. She never imagined burying Troy when they were so young, before they were even married.

She thought about the last night he was here. He promised her that he was going to ask her to marry him when he got home. He wanted to get married, have kids. He wanted to wait out the end of his contract with the Marines before he did that, though. Which is why they are 26, and still not married. He promised her when they were in high school that they would be married, and now it was only a matter of time.

Gabriella was in her own world as she walked amongst the group of sixty 14 year old teenagers towards the entrance to the cemetery. She had goosebumps on her skin. That thought was still playing with her mind, and she couldn't seem to get rid of it for even a second.

She tried to focus on the picture of Troy in front of her, getting down on one knee, and asking her to marry him. It was something that she was hoping for him to do when he got home. She always had this hope in her heart that he would hug her, then ask her to marry him. That was the only thought that would carry her through this, and she knew it. But she was afraid that it wasn't strong enough to last through their entire visit to this national landmark.

She was bought out of her thoughts at the sound of the tour guide speaking to the students and teachers before they went into the cemetery. "Please remember that this is a cemetery, and to respect the land. If there are any funerals going on, you are not allowed to take any pictures whatsoever. If you are caught taking pictures, you will be asked to leave for the sake of the family of the fallen soldier." The tour guide warned, her voice serious and stern.

Gabriella looked around at the hundreds of thousands of white stones that were lined up on the green hills of the cemetery. She took a breath, feeling somewhat relaxed as she followed the tour group.

The thought was, for some reason, gone from her mind as she numbly walked through the cemetery. Gabriella didn't know how long her thoughts were going to leave her alone, so she decided to make the best of it and try and enjoy her time at one of Washington D.C.'s biggest tourist attractions.

Her friend that comforted her earlier, Erica Cohen, walked up to her. "How are you holding up?" She wondered, linking her arm through Gabriella's. The young woman rested her head against her friend's shoulder, taking a deep breath before she lifted her head again.

Gabriella sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I honestly don't know. I feel okay right now, but who knows." She responded, staring at the backs of the heads in front of her. "I feel numb, in all honesty. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel." She murmured, seeing Erica nod her head in understanding of what Gabriella was feeling.

Erica squeezed Gabriella's shoulder before walking past her. Gabi let her eyes wander towards a funeral that was taking place, and felt her heart break. That family was never going to hear their loved ones voice again, never see them smile, hear them laugh. They will never have another memory with them after this moment, when their loved one is buried six feet in the ground.

Her chest felt tight as these thoughts took over her head. She couldn't handle loosing Troy. She already knew that. Sighing in frustration, she felt her eyes burn at the thought that this might happen to her with Troy.

She didn't think she would be able to handle that. She didn't think she could bury her one true love. She sighed, realizing that the idea was back in her head, and growing even stronger with the images she just saw adding to the details that she didn't need. She didn't want it to become stronger, she just wanted it to go away.

A few minutes later, a student was trying to ask her a question about something the tour guide pointed out, and Gabriella barely heard her voice. Gabriella tried to focus on what her student was talking to her about, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even hear the girl's voice.

Her mind was completely taken over by these horrible ideas and images, and all she could think about was what she would do if Troy was dead, and it was a very depressing thing to think about.

Gabriella cleared her throat, looking at her pupil. "I'm sorry Anna. Ask me again when we're heading to the bus, okay?" Gabriella asked, seeing the young girl nod at her teacher with a slightly confused look on her face before running to catch up with her group of friends a few feet away.

The group walked up to the Eternal Flame at JFK's grave. She looked down at the engraved stone, and felt goosebumps rise on her arms again. She couldn't imagine what Jackie Kennedy went through after her husband was killed. The thought that she would have to raise their kids alone must have been absolutely terrifying.

Closing her eyes tightly, Gabriella felt that tear in her chest, the pain and confusion that it caused. She sighed, willing her tears away so she could open her eyes again. The last thing she wanted to do was to start crying with her students and co-workers with her. She knew that they would understand, try to help her, but it was something that she had to deal with on her own.

After finally being able to get her eyes opened again without having to worry about tears escaping, Gabriella suddenly had a feeling she hadn't felt in over a year. She got the flutter in her stomach that she would get when Troy was near her, but she shook her head a little, trying to get rid of the feeling. There was no way that Troy was in Arlington, just a few feet away from her. It just wasn't possible.

She felt a hand brush hers as someone walked past her, and felt the butterflies rise again, with the electric shock she always felt whenever Troy touched her. Again, she silently scolded herself for having such thoughts, knowing that it wasn't possible that she wouldn't know he was there.

She was almost certain that her mind was playing tricks on her. She wanted Troy to be home so badly that her own body was going against her, reacting how it would if he was near her, as if to show her that it remembered who she was talking about.

She willed her eyes to stay trained on the flame, the flicker of the flame the only stability that she could find at the moment. The feeling that someone was staring at her, their eyes burning a hole into her skin, made her feel hot and uncomfortable. She refused to look up, worried that she would not find what she was hoping tried not to think about it, to keep her eyes focused on the flame. She kept thinking about what the flame represented. She kept thinking about forever.

However, forever was not something she wanted to think about right now. The only thing about forever that came to her mind was forever without Troy, and she wouldn't be able to do that.

Finally, after the feeling of a person staring at her became too strong, she lifted her head, seeing Troy's smiling face through the flame. Thinking that she was seeing things, her eyes quickly looked back down into the flame, before looking up again. Her eyes grew wide when she could still see him smiling at her. Gabriella was convinced she was seeing a ghost, there was really no other explanation that could even be a reality at that point. There was no way that he was here, smiling at her.

She couldn't believe her eyes. She blinked for a long second, before opening them. His face was gone and reality crashed down on her once again. She sighed as she shook her head, silently scolding herself for thinking that she saw him. She knew that she was just torturing herself at this point, thinking that she actually saw him.

She shook her head again, before staring into the flame for another minute before she gave up on it, knowing that the eternal flame would flicker no matter what, and her pain would be present no matter what.

She turned, walking towards the curved wall where you could stand and see the Washington Monument in the distance. Looking for something to put her mind on for a little while, she decided to search for the stone change on the monument that is miles away. She focused on it, hoping that the distraction would make the feelings that were rising in her stomach disappear.

The butterflies were turning into moths, growing still and becoming almost unbearable. She wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry, all of the emotion she was feeling were becoming unbearable. She needed to get away from here before she cracked. She just wanted to be alone to deal with all of these emotions that she was stuck with.

She felt someone's warm breath near her ear, at first assuming that it was just someone walking passed her. And she nearly fainted when she heard an all too familiar voice whisper to her a greeting she would never forget. Her eyes burned with tears, thinking that someone was playing a cruel and purely inhumane joke on her. The feelings that were going through her body were normal for her, but not at this time in her life.

"It's me, Brie." Three simple words that would change Gabriella's life forever. She knew that it really was him once she heard his voice. Tears were filling her eyes once again, her stomach flopping all over the place within her body. She couldn't form any coherent thoughts except the one that was screaming in her head. '_TURN AROUND! TURN AROUND!' _

She finally came back to a slight form of reality, beginning to turn around and face the person who spoke to her. She turned, staring in shock at Troy. His left arm was in a sling, and there was a huge stationary leg brace on his right leg. There were cuts and bruises all over his face, his arms, and his neck. She stared in shock into his piercing blue eyes, completely unharmed. She didn't think it was possible for someone that was hurt in such a torturous way to look so amazingly handsome.

Her body went completely numb, and she was afraid she would fall over. Her bag fell off her shoulder as her mouth hung open. She wanted to scream, to cry, to say anything, but she was rendered speechless. He was standing in front of her, and she didn't have a single thought going through her mind. He was alive, but nothing seemed to be connecting in her brain. She was stranded in utter disbelief, her silence a clear sign to him of how shocked she was.

Her eyes poured tears that she didn't know existed until Troy reached forward, wiping them off her face. When his hand touched her face, her body woke up. She jumped into his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she cried, her sobs loud and catching the attention of nearly everyone around them.

She cried for herself, thinking he was dead and that she would have to live without him. She cried for him, and all of the horrible things he must have gone through. She cried for everyone who would have been devastated if he was dead, his family and his friends. And she cried just to get the grief that she had been feeling for the past few weeks out of her system. She just needed to let it all out in one fleeting sob.

She felt his arm that wasn't in the sling, strong and protective, holding her tightly against his muscular form, holding her for the first time in what seemed like forever. And for the two of them, it wasn't forever, it was so much longer than that.

"I missed you so much, baby." He murmured, kissing the top of her head as he held her tightly. "I'm okay." He whispered, feeling her crying pick up, and her breathing become even more irregular. Hearing his voice was completely breaking her into hundreds of pieces. She couldn't believe how much relief she felt just by hearing him whisper in her ear. "Sh... I've got you, babe. It's okay." He continued to whisper and soothe her tears away, only now noticing that they had formed an audience.

Gabriella pulled her head from the crook of his neck, smiling. "I missed you too. God, I thought you were dead, Troy!" She admitted, feeling him kiss her forehead as she spoke. Gabriella eyes shut, her forehead leaning against his shoulder as he hugged her tightly once again, holding her as close to his body as the sling holding his arm would allow. Her arms were locked around his waist, not planning to let go of him anytime soon.

Troy smiled softly at her as he pushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. His face was the picture of happiness as he held her in his arms, but his mind was holding tightly to the tortured images of his time in captivity.

Two days ago, he honestly didn't think he would ever see this moment, when he would hold the love of his life in his arms again, and tell her that he was okay, and kiss her, and tell her he loved her. It just didn't seem like something that would ever happen again, no matter how many times he dreamed of this moment, it was so much better than all of his dreams put together. He just couldn't believe he was actually back in America, on safe grounds, with his love in his arms.

He shook his head. "I believe I made you a promise that I was going to come back in one living, breathing piece." He reminded her, seeing her smile and nod. He couldn't help but grin as he thought of another promise he made her. One that would be fulfilled soon enough.

Gabriella smiled to herself, knowing that he was right. "You always keep your promises." She spoke with a grin on her face, her eyes glowing with happiness and excitement. She also remembered the other promise he made her, the one that would lead to a beautiful ring being placed on her finger.

He nodded after she spoke, agreeing with her. "I love you so, so much. God, the only reason I made it out was because I knew you would be completely ruin if I died. I swear that's the only reason I'm still alive." He told her, wincing as he stood up straight, his 6'2" frame towering over her tiny 5'4" body.

Gabriella smiled a little, wiping her eyes before wrapping her arms around his waist again, hearing his intake of breath through his chest before his body relaxed into the hug that he had been waiting for for weeks.

– – – – – – – – – –

Troy and Gabriella were walking together a safe distance from the group of students and chaperones, their hands clasped together.

They were walking down the port docks, enjoying the fresh sea air, the light gusts of wind, and the overall amazingness of the weather at that moment in time.

Troy felt nervous, knowing that he was about to ask the girl of his dreams the most important question in the world. He knew that he had the perfect ring for her. He knew that she would say yes. He knew all of this, yet he was still so nervous that he was putting off the moment.

A strong wind came around them, pushing her hair into her face. She giggled, pushing the curly strands behind her ears, grinning at him as he smiled a little.

He knew this was his moment, and quickly pulled his hand from hers. He buried his hand deep in his pocket, holding the small black velvet box. Gabriella looked at him in confusion, wondering if everything was okay.

Before she could speak, Troy's face broke out in a smile as he attempted to go down on one knee. However, the full leg brace that he was in kept him from doing that. He winced, realizing that there was a significant flaw in his plan.

He cleared his throat, staring into Gabriella's beautiful eyes. "I was planning on being able to bend both knees when I did this, so we'll have to improvise." He told her, winking as he carefully opened the jewelry box. "Brie," He began, seeing the tears coming to the surface of her eyes already. He smiled a little, rolling his lips together before he continued. "I promised you a long time ago, that after my eight years with the Marines was over, and I knew I would come home to you for the rest of my life, that I would ask you this very important question. We already know the answer, or else you would have kicked my ass to the curb at some point over the last nine years." He began, laughing a little at the huge smile and nod that she gave him.

"I know that this last year has been extremely hard on both of us, especially the last few weeks." He whispered to her, seeing a tear fall from her eye as she nodded a little. She took a deep breath, managing to smile at him as he continued. "But these last few weeks have confirmed for me what I already knew. I knew, when I saw that look on your face back at Arlington, that I needed to be with you for the rest of our lives." He told her.

She smiled again before rolling her lips together, another tear falling down her face. "Will you marry me?" Troy whispered, his voice catching at the emotions that suddenly flooded through his body.

Gabriella let out a quiet sob as she nodded her head a few times, smiling up at the man that she loves. "Yes," She choked, her voice cracking as Troy grinned.

He wrapped his good arm around her tightly, hugging her close as they shared a soft, loving, passionate kiss. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you so much, beautiful." He whispered, kissing her lips quickly again.

He then pulled away, a huge smile on his face as he placed the ring that he picked out several years ago on her finger.

The two of them shared a huge smile, Gabriella looking down at the ring, and Troy looking down at her. Their love was stronger than anything that could be thrown at them, and they knew that after surviving the dreaded Missing In Action, anything could be survived.


	2. Chapter 2

Troy Bolton knew that his seven year old niece was the person he was going to surprise with his homecoming from his deployment. She didn't know that there was ever anything wrong, or that Troy was missing at the end of his deployment. All she knows is that Uncle Troy was hurt right before he came home, but that he was going to be home by her birthday in the second week of June.

Troy and Gabriella were going to Ava's softball game, where Troy would surprise her. They were sitting in the bleachers with Troy's brother's wife Alicia, and their ten year old son Matty. His brother Matt is an assistant coach for Ava's team.

Alicia was holding her video camera, and turned the screen to Troy. "Okay, so we're at Ava's softball game. It's May 30, 2010. Troy just got home from his deployment this morning, and is going to surprise Ava soon." She stated, referring to Troy and Gabriella flying home from Washington D.C. that morning with her students.

Troy rolled his eyes at his sister-in-law, shaking his head a little to himself at the sight of the camera. "Are you seriously taping all of this?" He wondered, feeling Gabriella pinch his side next to him. "What? I'm just asking!" He exclaimed, looking at his fiancee.

Gabriella rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. "Let her enjoy this. Ava's going to love to watch this video in like 10 years." She added, seeing him nod a little in agreement.

Troy grinned, nodding. "So can I tell an embarrassing story right now so if she watches this with one of her friends they will laugh at her? No, that's not nice. Maybe I should threaten a future boyfriend who might be watching this someday! Yes, that's a good idea!" He exclaimed, and was about to go off in a protective rant before Gabriella covered his mouth with her hand.

A few seconds later, she pulled it away, making a face. "That's really gross, Troy." She muttered, wiping her hand on his jeans. Troy smirked at her, and Alicia rolled her eyes at the immaturity that her brother-in-law was showing by licking Gabriella's hand.

He laughed a little with a huge smile on his face, before looking at Alicia. "Wait, you're still filming?" He wondered, and the three adults broke out into laughter after a second of hesitation to see if Troy was serious.

– – – – – – – – – –

About an hour later, the game was tied at two, and Ava was up to bat in the bottom of the last inning.

Troy walked down by the field, watching his niece when she was at bat. He smiled a little as she took a few practice swings, before stepping into the batters box. She swung at the first pitch, and Troy grinned a little. She hit the ball, and made it to first base before the ball was thrown back into the infield.

Troy looked behind him, and saw Alicia standing close enough to capture his voice on the camera, before turning back to the field. He noticed that the batter was taking a few practice swings and the pitcher was talking to her coach before facing the next batter. He knew this was the perfect moment.

He cleared his throat quietly, grinning as he directed his comment towards the small runner on first base. "Nice smack, kiddo." He spoke, seeing her glance over, before looking again with wide eyes.

Ava's mouth hung open for a moment, before she broke out of her trance. "Uncle Troy!" She screamed, running over to him, and jumping into his arms, which were now both available for hugging since he didn't need his sling anymore. The coaches for both teams were watching in confusion as one of the players was hugging the injured man. The umpire held his hands up, watching the scene unfold before his eyes.

He grinned, hugging her tightly as she started crying into his shoulder. Troy closed his eyes, squeezing her tiny body tightly in his arms. "I missed you so much." She sobbed, hugging him tighter around his neck. "I missed you." She cried over and over again.

Troy rolled his lips together, feeling an overwhelming amount of love from this little girl. "I missed you too peanut." He whispered, hugging her back. He felt his eyes burning with tears as he held her close, feeling emotional at the reaction she had to seeing him again for the first time in a very long time.

Her helmet had fallen off when she jumped into his arms, and he let his hand rest against the back of her head, feeling her soft hair under his fingers. He smiled a little, kissing her cheek again as he saw that the coaches, players, and spectators were all watching the reunion with closely trained eyes.

Troy shifted her in his arms, and the Marines emblem on his t-shirt was visible. There were whispers flowing all around their reunion, and Troy grinned a little to himself before he spoke softly. "I love you, Ava." He whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

She sobbed against his shoulder again, nodding her head a little. "I love you too. I missed you. I missed you." She cried over and over again, refusing to let go of her uncle.

Troy laughed softly in her ear, kissing her head again. He tried to pull her away from him, but she refused to let him go. "You have to let me go, peanut." He whispered, feeling her shake her head against his shoulder. "Come on, you have a game to finish." He tried again, feeling her arms tighten around him.

"No," She mumbled, still crying against his strong shoulder. Troy laughed lightly in her ear, rubbing her back softly.

He grinned a little as he turned to look at Alicia, who had a watery smile on her face. "She won't let go." He laughed, seeing his sister-in-law and girlfriend laughing with tears on their faces at the sight in front of them.

Deciding to try again, even though he knew how it was going to end, Troy spoke softly to the little girl in his arms. "Ava, let me go." He whispered, but she shook her head again.

She continued hugging him, refusing to let go. Troy looked over at Matt, silently asking for his help. "Daddy's coming over. He doesn't want you to stop in the middle of your game, peanut." Troy warned her, knowing that his brother really wasn't a very threatening figure. He smiled a little as Matt walked over, and began to attempt to pry his daughter's arms off his brother's neck.

Matt just shook his head a little to himself, before grasping his daughter's arms in his hands, before trying to release her grip on his brother's' neck. "Ava, let go." He stated, and Troy laughed when she shook her head against his shoulder once again.

Troy let go of her, and let out a laugh when she wrapped her legs around his waist to keep from falling. He moved his hands back to her's; which were clasped tightly behind his head, and worked with his brother on separating her hands. Troy smiled before quickly pulling her legs from around his body, placing her carefully on the ground.

She was still crying, and he knelt down as much as he could in his leg brace to reach her eye level before wiping her tears off her face. "C'mon peanut, you have to finish your game." He whispered, pressing a soft and loving kiss to her forehead.

She nodded a little, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug again. He sighed softly, holding her tightly against his chest. He stood up, and she released her grip with a small smile coming across her face.

She smiled a little wider when he was standing upright again, before hugging him around his torso. Troy laughed, hugging her back again. "I love you, peanut." He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She grinned a little, feeling her favorite uncle squeeze her tightly. "I love you too, Uncle Troy." She whispered.

After a little more convincing, Troy and Matt were able to get her to let go of him and finish the game, which wasn't going to take long at all.

– – – – – – – – – –

After about ten more minutes, the game was over following a double that Ava was able to score on.

Troy was on his cell phone with one of his friends, when Ava ran over, body slamming him with a huge smile on her adorable face.

"Oof. I'm going to call you back later." Troy stated, before hanging up on his friend and lifting Ava over his head. "Hey peanut." He greeted, kissing her forehead before placing her back on the ground again.

She giggled with a huge smile on her face. "Hi Uncle Troy." She grinned, loving that she could talk to her uncle again.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Okay so I didn't put an author's note on the first chapter because to be completely honest, I was super nervous about posting it. I was going to keep this as a one shot, but decided to continue a little with other little one shots that I have collected. All of these stories are based off of my three favorite cousins, who are all Marines. The first story just happened before Christmas, only in New York City.

I have another chapter that I can put on as well, with Troy surprising his parents and sister as well, but other than that I don't have anything else to put in this story. I'll post the next one and then start to think about going further. Maybe wedding planning for Gabriella and Troy? Hm... I guess we'll have to see.

Hope you're enjoying these stories! They are very close to me, and hold a large emotional token in my life.

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo luvinNaley7413


	3. Chapter 3

Troy and Gabriella knew they had a few more stops to make that morning and afternoon before they could really enjoy the fact that Troy was home. It took almost half an hour to convince Ava that they would be seeing her later that night at Nana and Pop-Pop's house for dinner.

Ava shook her head. "No, don't go!" She whined, still sitting on her uncle's lap.

Troy laughed a little, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "We're going to see you in a few hours, babe. You have to go home and do homework according to your mom. So go do that, and by the time your at Nana's house, I'll be there too." He told her.

She looked at him for a minute, glancing over at Gabriella. She saw her soon-to-be aunt nod her head in agreement, and sighed.

She nodded a little, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug again. Troy laughed, hugging her back. "I'll see you later, peanut." He promised, kissing her forehead before placing her in the back of her mother's car.

Troy and Gabriella both said goodbye to Matt and Alicia, giving Matt a chance to finally hug his brother and welcome him home. "You good, bro?" Matt whispered as he and Troy shared a tight hug.

Troy nodded a little, a grin on his face as they pulled away. "I'm good," He agreed, feeling Gabriella's hand pressed against his back.

Alicia hugged him tightly as well, kissing his cheek. "We'll see you guys later." She told them, smiling before getting in the car.

Troy and Gabriella made their way to their car, knowing that his mother was working and needed to see him, even if she didn't know he was home yet.

– – – – – – – – – –

Lucille Bolton, smiling as she walked down the hallway of the office she works in, is a nurse at a pediatrician's office in Albuquerque.

She smiled again as she walked into the staff room to get a water bottle from the vending machine, and a few minutes later she was sitting with several of her co-workers eating lunch.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, one of the nurses started speaking, directing her question towards Lucille as she looked up. "So when is that handsome son of yours coming home?" Amanda, an older nurse, questioned with a huge smile on her face.

Lucille sighed a little, shaking her head. "I hope he'll be home soon. We really don't know any information. This deployment he's with Special Operations, so they really can't give him a date for when he comes home." She explained, feeling a little emotional like always whenever she talked about Troy's deployment.

Amanda nodded a little towards her friend before she spoke. "I don't know how you do it. I would never be able to sleep." She explained, shaking her head a little at the thought of someone in her family being deployed to Afghanistan.

Lucille sighed, before she shook her head as well. "I'm not sleeping well. I haven't since the night he left. It's been even worse since they declared him missing in action." She replied, shaking her head a little to herself. "And I won't until I know that he's safe and on his way home at least. More than likely my first good night's sleep in over a year will be when I know that he's home." She added, shaking her head again.

A small smile spread across Amanda's face, who knew full well that her friend was going to be having that good night's sleep sooner than she thought. "Well, he'll be home soon, that's something to look forward to." Amanda spoke, seeing the wishful look on her friend's face. She knew that Lucille was not aware of her son's homecoming, and hoped that him surprising her would lift her spirits a little bit.

Lucille smiled tightly, blinking several times before she nodded at her friend quickly. "I hope so," She whispered, before the two stood up and began meeting with patients again after they finished eating.

Lucille didn't want to let her emotions take over her at work, but she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going to happen today. Something big. And she was really hoping it was something that had to do with Troy and him coming home or at least being found.

– – – – – – – – – –

Troy and Gabriella snuck into the waiting room of the doctor's office his mother worked in, talking to the receptionist quietly. "So can you make a fake patient name, and have her call that name? So she'll come in, call, and I'll stand up?" He asked, seeing her grin a little before taking a piece of paper out of a folder.

She thought for a minute, before filling out the birth date, weight, height, address, and parents name on the form with fake information. She smiled a little when she thought of a name, using Troy's initials. "We'll just name this person Thomas Benson." She replied, writing the name down quickly and filling in fake information on the paper so that the nurse wouldn't think it was some kind of trick or prank. She saw a small smile spread across the face of the young man she was assisting.

Troy grinned a little wider, looking at Gabriella. "This is going to be great." He laughed, grinning again. He noticed that a bunch of the nurses and doctors were standing in the waiting room, waiting for the wonderful moment that was going to take place within the next few minutes.

After making sure that his mom was going to call that name, Troy was sitting in the back corner, with Gabriella hiding behind his shoulder. The two were holding hands tightly, and Gabriella laughed as she could feel Troy's excitement through his slightly twitching fingers.

She giggled lightly, lifting his hand to hold it against her chest. "A little excited?" She asked him, seeing him look down at her as she hugged his injured hand and wrist closer to her body. He no longer had to wear the sling, so now he was only wearing a brace to support his severely sprained wrist and hand.

He grinned a little, nodding as he tried to squeeze her fingers with his own weak hand. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her hair as they waited impatiently for the moment when his mother would come out into the waiting room. "Yeah, I can't wait to see her." He whispered, hearing someone clear their throat a few feet away from them.

After a few seconds, the voice that they were waiting for echoed through the room, her voice loud and clear. "Thomas Benson?" His mother's voice called, making Troy grin.

He stood up, slowly turning around to look at his mother. She didn't register his face at first when she glanced at him, looking around the room. She saw the nurses and doctors all standing, waiting. She saw Gabriella sitting with a huge smile on her face.

Her mouth fell open in shock as she realized that the handsome young man who was standing in front of her was her second born child, and her missing son. "Oh My God!" She screamed, jumping over the couch and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. "Oh My God! I can't believe this!" She exclaimed, crying against his shoulder.

Troy laughed, hugging her tightly, although pain flashed through his body at how tightly she was holding him. "Did I surprise you?" He asked, laughing as he spoke. He felt her arms tighten around him, holding him closer to her, and he winced slightly. She buried her face against his shoulder, shaking her head a little as she held him tightly.

Lucille pulled away from him after a moment to collect herself, wiping her eyes quickly. "Oh gosh," She mumbled, shaking her head with a watery smile on her face. She placed her hands on his cheeks, grinning as she looked into his beautiful eyes, almost unaware of the bruises, cuts, and other injuries she could so obviously see. "Oh, my baby." She whispered, hugging him tightly again.

Troy laughed a little, wrapping his arms around her again, holding her tightly. "I love you, Mom." He whispered, kissing her head as his voice was choked with emotion.

He knew that she was going to have lots of questions, and obsess over trying to help him heal from all of his wounds, but right now, in this moment, all she was worried about was hugging her son tightly. She was enjoying the shock, surprise, happiness, and pure emotion that swept through her, knowing that he was home, he was alive, and he was going to be okay.

She smiled huge, pulling away from him and pressing her hands to his chest. "I love you too, baby boy." She whispered, her voice cracking as she continued to cry at the unexpected surprise that she was still reeling from.

She looked around, seeing her co-workers all smiling at her, some with tears in their eyes as they enjoyed the happiness of the small reunion. "You knew?" She exclaimed, accusing them with tears still falling from her eyes as she pointed towards the group.

They all laughed, a few nodding with huge smiles on their faces. As a group, they enjoyed the pure happiness that was painted across their coworker's face as she wrapped her arms around her son's waist, resting her cheek on his chest.

Amanda had a huge grin on her face as she winked at her friend, knowing that the conversation they just held really did portray her friends emotions well.

Troy laughed a little, hugging her tightly against his side as he pressed a gentle kiss to her head. "I love you, Mom." He whispered, feeling tears burning in his eyes.

She smiled a little, looking up at her son. "I love you too, baby." She whispered, before looking at Gabriella. "You knew he was coming home!" She accused, seeing her son's girlfriend laugh a little, before shaking her head.

"He surprised me in D.C. when I was there with my class." She explained, seeing Lucille smile huge at her. "And," She added, seeing Troy nod a little before she lifted her left hand towards her future mother-in-law. "He proposed!" She squealed, feeling Lucille hug her tightly.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed, hugging the young girl tightly. "Oh congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" She whispered to her, before hugging her son again.

"It's about damn time, I know." He joked, already knowing what his mother was going to say to him.

Lucille just smiled a little, nodding her head. "I'm so, so happy right now." She grinned, holding her hands together tightly. She wanted to know everything about his injuries, but figured that could wait just a little while longer.

– – – – – – – – – –


	4. Chapter 4

Okay so... I've manged to make five chapters out of this, and I'm not exactly sure what else I'll put. I might make a sixth chapter, where Troy sees Gabriella's family, and their friends again. But I doubt there's going to be much more than that. Let me know what you think, or if you have any other ideas for me!

– – – – – – – – – –

Lucille managed to calm herself down a little more after a few minutes, and had a huge smile on her face. "Are you going to see Dad?" She wondered.

Troy nodded. "Yeah, does he have practice today?" He wondered.

Lucille laughed a little, nodding her head. "What Saturday during basketball season does he not have practice, Troy?" She teased, knowing that her son was well aware of her husband's coaching practices.

Troy nodded a little with a grin on his face. "I just figured I would make sure. You never know with that guy, he likes to change things up from time to time." Troy explained, seeing his mother roll her eyes a little at him.

"Sure, change things up. We'll call it that." She teased, winking at her son who laughed in agreement.

Gabriella smiled from where she was standing quietly, enjoying the mother-son banter that was playing out in front of her. Lucille had a huge smile on her face, her eyes were lighting up in happiness like they used to.

It was as if the old Lucille had come out of hiding within the few minutes that she has seen her son, and it made Gabriella happier then she ever thought it would.

"Lucille," One of the doctors at the office spoke, gaining Lucille's attention along with Troy and Gabriella's. "Go home, enjoy the weekend with your family." He spoke, a huge smile on his face at the way the nurse's eyes lit up more.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, a huge smile on her face.

Troy and Gabriella both laughed, knowing that she was more than a little excited to spend as much time as possible with her son now that he was finally home.

– – – – – – – – – –

Jack Bolton was focused. His team was in the middle of an intense practice, running suicides at the moment. He was watching with well trained eyes, taking in who was slowing down, and who was maintaining their speed.

He told them that he would count for them, so they could focus on the sprints they had to do. The problem is, he forget to count. At this point, they've been running for almost three minutes, and went passed him at least six times.

He glanced over at his assistant coach, nodding slightly to finally end the torture on his players. The coach blew his whistle, causing the teenage boys in front of him to slow to a stop from their run.

They were panting for breath, resting their hands on their knees as they caught their breath. Jack shook his head a little, knowing that this was nothing compared to how the playoff practices were going to be for these guys. They started next week.

After a moment of watching his players catching their breaths, Jack decided to give them a short break. "Take 5 guys, get some water." Jack spoke, seeing each of them walk over to the bench, some talking to each other as they relaxed for a few minutes.

The captain of the team, a senior at East High, approached his coach with his gatorade bottle open. Jack opened his play book, glancing up at the teenager who was nodding at the plays that his coach was pointing out.

"Let's start working on this. I want to try to have it settled enough that we can use it this week." Jack explained, seeing his star player nod his head.

"Sounds good to me. I don't think it's that hard that we're going to need to work on it a lot." He added, seeing his coach nod a little in agreement.

Jack gathered his players together, before explaining how the new play worked. He had his white board rolled out, with a stream of marks on it with arrows to show who moved where during the play.

He glanced up, seeing each of his starting players nodding as they took in the play, committing it to their memories. His second string seemed just as interested in it, hoping that they would have a chance to be a part of it within the upcoming weeks.

"Okay, so let's get first and second string out to try this out. I don't want perfection, but I don't want sloppy either." Jack spoke, seeing ten of his twelve players run out onto the court, first string with the ball.

Looking at Michael, his assistant coach, he grinned. "This is going to be a major part of our playoff run." He stated, as he wiped down the whiteboard before pushing it off to the side and out of the way.

Jack had his back to the doors of the gym, and heard them open. He shook his head a little to himself, knowing that the person was obviously ignoring the signs that were clearly taped on all of the doors to the gym.

He didn't even look to see who had come in, and spoke loud and clear to the person who had come into the brightly lit gym. "This is a closed practice, sorry." He spoke, still looking at his clipboard.

He heard someone scoff, and became a little confused. He didn't even have a chance to look up to see who it was before they started talking. "Closed to the guy who holds the scoring record for the past seven years?" A voice asked, the person limping across the gym and laughing a little to himself when he saw his father's body go tense as he recognized the voice that just spoke to him.

Jack Bolton turned around, looking at a younger version of himself that was standing just a few feet away from him. Jack shook his head a little to himself, trying to wake up from this crazy dream he was in.

Instead, he ended up laughing with a huge smile on his face, shaking his head with pure disbelief. "Holy Shit." He spoke, dropping his clipboard and hugging his son tightly when he reached him. "Welcome home," He whispered with a slightly choked voice, feeling Troy hug him as well.

Troy smiled a little, knowing that his father wasn't one to show any kind of emotion in front of his players, regardless of the situation he was in. "Thanks," He grinned, as the two pulled apart.

Jack laughed a little as he looked at his son, shaking his head a little to himself as he tried to process the fact that his son was in fact home from war, and safe, something that he wasn't exactly sure was going to happen over the passed few weeks.

He shook his head again, smiling at his son before he spoke. "When did you get home? Please tell me your mother knows you're back, or else I'm dead." He stated, shaking his head a little at the thought of knowing that their son was home first, he would never live it down.

Troy laughed a little, shaking his head towards his father. "I officially got home about two hours ago. And Mom knows, I surprised her at work already. I surprised Ava at her game earlier too. Matt, Alicia, and Matty helped me out with that one." He explained, seeing the relief on his father's face at the news that his mother knew already.

Troy continued speaking, seeing his father nodding along with him a little. "I surprised Gabi in D.C., I got out of Walter Reed and was able to catch up with her class." He explained, seeing his father's eyes cloud over at the mention of the military hospital in Washington.

Jack smiled, nodding with slight pride as he took in his son, his Marines division t-shirt showing everyone that saw him that he was a Marine fighting for our country. "Your mother probably freaked out. And Ava must have been so excited." He noted, a smile growing on his face at the thought of his wife's excitement.

"Yeah, Ava refused to let me go. I mean, I probably have bruises on the back of my neck from her fighting Matt and I as we tried to pull her off of me." He explained, seeing his father laugh lightly at the recount of his granddaughter's reaction to seeing her uncle again.

Troy nodded a little, rolling his lips together. "And Mom, she jumped over one of the couches in the waiting room and strangled me a little." He admit, causing laughter to break through the gym.

Jack smiled to himself, shaking his head a little. "This is so crazy." He stated, laughing as he glanced around the gym, seeing all of his players still standing around with smiles on their faces.

Nodding his head towards the locker room, Jack grinned at the athletes around them. "Hit the showers guys," He spoke, seeing the team nod before heading for the locker room, not even thinking of complaining of their intense practice being cut in half. It was a gift they were going to take advantage of.

Troy and Jack were standing around, talking still as they waited for all of the players to finish showering and leave the gym. "So have you seen Lexie yet?" Jack asked, seeing Troy shake his head a little with a smile on his lips. "That's going to be a fun one," He added, laughing a little at the thought of his daughter's reaction to seeing her brother again.

Troy laughed a little, nodding his head. "I can't even imagine how she's going to be. Probably crying, then smiling, and just a completely emotional mess, I think." He explained, seeing his father nod his head in agreement.

Jack laughed slightly. "Yeah, she's definitely going to be all of those, and maybe more to be completely honest." He added.

Troy nodded a little, taking a deep breath. "How has she been?" He asked, his voice serious. "I mean, her and Mom. Were they really upset about everything?" He wondered.

Jack sighed, rolling his lips together as he nodded. He took a deep breath to steady himself before speaking again. "They were both a mess. Lexie would lock herself in her room, she didn't go to swim practice for a week, then she started going but not swimming. Your mother went to work, but didn't actually commit herself like she normally does. When she was home, she would sit in your room crying." He explained, seeing the pain in his son's eyes at the recount of how his family dealt with him being missing.

"What about Gabi?" Troy asked, his eyes closed.

Jack shook his head. "I can't even tell you. It would literally kill you, Troy." Jack spoke, knowing that the last thing his son needed to know was that his girlfriend was practically starving herself in her pain.

Troy nodded a little, hearing the locker room door open and close before he spoke again. "I had a feeling you were going to say that." He whispered, rolling his lips together as he sat down on the bleachers to take his weight off of his injured leg.

The two exchanged a few words as the last few players left the locker room, waving to their coach on their way out the door. Jack looked over at his son. "I'm just going to make sure everyone's out, then lock up." He told his son, seeing him nod a little as he looked around the gym, smiling a little to himself.

He thought about the first time he was in here with Gabriella, and his father got mad because Troy was supposed to be having a solo practice. He smiled at the thought of all of the huge and smiles he got from her when they won games.

He thought about the blush that came across her face when they had basketball in gym class and she couldn't make a free throw shot, and how everyone laughed that she was dating the basketball captain but couldn't play the game.

Troy grinned when he realized the news that he could share with his father, creating another memory in this gym that pertained to himself and that beautiful girl that he was so completely in love with.

As Jack came out of the locker room, Troy stood up with a huge smile on his face as he approached his father. The two started walking out of the gym, Jack hitting the lights before they pushed the doors open to go into the hallway. Troy watched, just like he did all through high school, as his father locked the doors, giving them each a good tug to make sure they were secure.

"So Dad," Troy started, seeing his father look over at him as they walked towards the parking lot, where Lucille and Gabriella were waiting for them. "I have news to share with you." He stated, a huge grin on his face.

Jack looked at his son for a minute, a little confused. "What kind of news?" He wondered, slightly worried that it was going to be something about the Marines that he wasn't going to like.

Troy grinned widely, shaking his head a little to himself as if he was in disbelief that it was actually happening, or that he was about to tell his father. He looked back over to his father, with a huge grin on his face. "Gabi and I are getting married." Troy shared, seeing his father smile a little at his second son.

"Well, it's about damn time." Jack laughed, slapping his son lightly on the shoulder as they walked through the hallways of East High.

– – – – – – – – – –

Like I said, for now I only have a couple more chapters left in this. I could probably try and break up what I have for chapter six into two or maybe three chapters. Maybe Chad should have his own chapter? Maybe Gabi's mom should have her own chapter? Then the rest of the gang? Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo luvinNaley74


	5. Chapter 5

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, and I'm so sorry! I'm currently working on another chapter, and then maybe one or two more might come out of this. I don't know how many exactly, but we'll see what happens. Enjoy!

It was about an hour later that Troy and Gabriella were at Jack and Lucille's house with Matt, Alicia and the kids. Ava and Matty were running around in the backyard with their grandfather, laughing as he chased them.

Gabriella was standing on the deck, looking over the large backyard with a small smile on her face. Troy came up behind her, carefully wrapping his wounded arms around her tiny body from behind.

She grinned, resting her head back against his shoulder as she felt him press a soft kiss to her hair. "You look like you have a million thoughts going through your head." He whispered to her, feeling her body relaxing against him. He softly nuzzled his nose against her hair, grinning as he watched his niece and nephew running around with his father.

Gabriella shook her head a little after a minute. "Just thinking about someday when it's you chasing our kids down in this backyard." She whispered with a huge smile on her face.

Troy squeezed her a little, pressing a kiss to her head. "Soon enough," He replied lightly, a small smile on his face.

Gabriella rolled her lips together, nodding. "This time two days ago, I didn't think that would ever happen." She whispered, before continuing. "You playing with our kids. I didn't think you were coming home. I thought I was going to get one of those visits that you see in movies, when people just start crying at the sight of these two officers in their dress uniforms." She explained, her voice cracking a little.

Troy shook his head a little. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with that, baby." He whispered to her, his lips ghosting against the skin of her neck. "I don't want you to ever have to deal with that again." He added, closing his eyes briefly.

She nodded a little, sniffling a few times before plastering a smile across her face. "Stop making me cry." She stated, laughing a little at the shocked look on his face.

"It's not my fault!" He exclaimed, laughing with her.

He enjoyed seeing that beautiful smile on her face, and loved that he was the reason that she was smiling right now, and for a very long time after this.

– – – – – – – – – –

Lexie Bolton walked out of the mall with two of her friends, laughing as they carried their bags from their mini shopping spree. As they were walking towards Lexie's car, her phone rang in her bag.

After digging the ringing phone out of her purse, Lexie smiled a little as she answered the call from her mom. "Hello?" She greeted, laughing a little still with her friends while holding the conversation with her mother.

"Hey sweetie, what time do you think you're going to be home?" Lucille wondered, chopping vegetables for the salad she was currently making.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Probably like half an hour. I just have to drop Brittany and Megan off at their houses then I'll be home." She replied. "Why?" She wondered, not sure if there were any plans she forget about.

Lucille grinned a little, catching herself when she almost told her daughter about the surprise that was waiting for her. "Matt and Alicia came by with the kids and Gabi's here too. We're having a little cookout." She explained, and a huge smile came across her face at the major point that she kept from her daughter.

Lexie nodded a little with a smile on her face. "Sounds like fun. I'll be there soon." She told her mom before the two of them hung up.

Lucille had a small grin on her face as she looked at her second born child. "She'll be here soon, Troy." She told her him, laughing a little to herself as she put the phone down on the counter.

Troy grinned widely at the thought of his sister being home soon. "She's going to freak out, isn't she?" He wondered.

Lucille laughed a little, nodding her head a few times. "If you thought I was freaking out, then you're about to see what a real freak out is." She replied, before making him peel cucumbers for her.

Troy just laughed a little to himself as he stood in the kitchen with his mother, helping her prepare the food they were going to enjoy that night. "So, are you okay honey?" Lucille wondered, glancing over at her handsome son.

Troy looked a little confused, and nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I'm healing well." He replied, before watching with even more confusion as his mother shook her head at him.

"That's not what I mean." She stated, looking at him with a worried look in her eyes. "I mean, mentally, are you okay?" She explained.

Troy took a breath, not wanting to lie to his mother, but not wanting to worry her. "I'm probably as good as I could be right now." He replied vaguely, not looking into his mother's worried eyes.

Lucille bit her lip, wanting to push the subject a little with him, but knew that he would just pull away from her. "Okay." She stated softly, resuming her chopping. "Just know that your father and I are here if you need to talk to us, sweetie." She added after a minute.

Troy nodded a little, rolling his lips together as he focused on the peeling that he was doing. "I know, Mom." He replied, his voice low and self-conscious.

With a small sigh and a worried look, Lucille pushed the negative thoughts from her mind and bought up Matty and Ava, which instantly pulled a smile onto his face.

– – – – – – – – – –

About twenty minutes after holding the conversation with her mother, Lexie pulled her car into her parents driveway, recognizing the two cars that were parked in front of her house. With a smile on her face, she got out of the car, able to hear her niece and nephew playing in the backyard.

She walked up to the house, opening the front door with a huge smile on her face as she heard her mother talking to her sister-in-law and brother's girlfriend.

"Hey," She called to the three women, seeing each of them smile at her as she walked towards them.

She hugged Gabriella and Alicia tightly, smiling before kissing her mother on the cheek. "I'm gonna run upstairs and change really quick." She stated before running up the stairs two at a time to reach her room quickly.

She threw her purse on her bed, a smile on her face as she kicked off her sneakers. She changed into shorts and a loose fitting tank top compared to her jeans and tight t-shirt, before clipping her hair back out of her face.

She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, adding a little foundation to her face before going back downstairs.

Sitting in the kitchen, she grinned as she joined in the conversation that was taking place, grabbing a pretzel out of the bowl sitting on the counter.

"So, how was D.C. Gabi?" She asked, seeing the older woman grin widely at her, her eyes lighting up.

"It was amazing." She replied, and Lexie felt like there was something hiding in her happiness and excitement about the trip.

She nodded a little, glad that she had fun. She was glad that the family was able to get together like this and be happy for a little while, since the worry about Troy was eating at everyone. She stood up after a minute, smiling.

"I'm going to go outside and see Dad and Matt. Are the kids out there?" She asked, seeing Alicia nod a little, smiling.

"Yup. They're running around with your dad. I doubt they've tired out yet." She added, laughing a little.

Lexie grinned, feeling her phone vibrate in her hand as she was moving towards the back door of the house. Glancing down at her phone, Lexie didn't look up as she was a few feet away from the door.

And because she was looking down at her phone, she was not aware of the fact that her older brother was standing in the doorway with a huge grin on his face. Troy waited without saying a word, knowing that she was going to look up within the next few seconds of finishing the message she was typing.

After sending the message to her friend, she smiled a little before locking her phone and sliding it back into her pocket. She looked up as she was about to grab the handle of the door to open it, and felt the air leave her lungs due to the shock of seeing who was standing in front of her, covering her mouth with her hands.

She looked over him, her well trained eyes taking in the leg brace, the wrist brace, the bruises and cuts, the pain that he was so obviously in.

She felt tears building in her eyes as she looked at him, before seeing the huge smile on his face. "Oh my God!" She squealed, running towards her older brother with a huge grin on her face.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, feeling him lift her off her feet as he hugged her tightly around her waist. She buried her face in his shoulder, feeling her tears building further before they began falling without warrant.

She felt him press a kiss against the side of her head, just as he had with Ava. "Hi Lex," He whispered, hugging her tightly as he felt her body beginning to shake in shock with the sobs that were trying to wrack through her.

She sniffled a little, a few tears falling from her eyes as she buried her face tighter against his shoulder. "Hi," She whispered back, her voice catching as she began to cry, her body shaking in his arms as he held her close. "I missed you so much." She whispered to him, feeling him squeeze her a little tighter.

He smiled, nodding a little at her. "I missed you too," He whispered, pressing a loving kiss to her head.

She sniffled again before she spoke, nervous to ask the question. "Are you okay?" She asked, her voice cracking a little as she spoke as he put her feet back on the ground.

Troy nodded a little, smiling slightly at her. "Just a bunch of cuts, bruises, sprains, and strains. I'll be good as new in a few months." He promised, seeing her smile in relief at the news he just shared with her.

She grinned widely, wrapping her arm tighter around him. "I'm so glad your home." She told him, seeing the huge smile on his face as he leaned down to press another kiss to her hair.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that night, Gabriella and Troy were still at his parents house as Matt and Alicia were getting the kids together to go home. Everyone was exhausted from the afternoon and evening together. Ava was already asleep on her father's shoulder from all of the activity from the day.

Matt and Troy shook hands at the door as Matt was following his family out, both watching as Matty and his mother opened the doors to the car. "It's good to have you home, bro." Matt whispered, grinning at his little brother.

Troy grinned a little, nodding his head. "Yeah, it's good to finally be home." He agreed, knowing that the small exchange held a lot more meaning for the two siblings than what everyone around them was able to hear.

Gabriella smiled slightly as Troy came back into the living room, sitting next to her and pressing a sweet kiss to the side of her head as he got comfortable. "We should stop to see your mom before we head home." He told her softly, his lips ghosting across her hair as he spoke.

Gabriella smiled softly at him, nodding a little in agreement. She glanced at the clock, before looking back at him. "We should probably go now. It's almost 9." She told him, seeing his eyes move towards the clock as well.

He nodded a little as well, before standing up again. He and Gabriella quickly said goodbye to his parents and sister, before making their way out to the car. "I'm surprised that Lexie is letting you leave her sight." Gabriella spoke as Troy shut the door behind them.

He laughed a little, shaking his head as the two went down the porch stairs and headed towards her car. Gabriella placed the keys in his hand out of habit, and grinned a little as he went right for the driver's seat without a second thought.

Getting into the passenger seat, Gabriella smiled a little to herself. "This is one of the first times I've sat in this passenger seat in a long, long time." She spoke, weaving her fingers through his as he began driving towards her mother's house. She smiled a little to herself, enjoying the fact that they were able to fall right back into their routine together.

He nodded a little, lifting their linked hands to press a sweet kiss to the back of her hand. "I know," He whispered, smiling softly at her as he pulled into her mom's driveway, as she only lived a few blocks away from his parents.

They got out of the car, smiling softly at each other as they reached for their hands to join together once again. The two walked up to the house, excited to surprise her mother with Troy's home coming as well as their engagement, which they were sure would be the icing on the cake for Gabriella's mother.

Ringing the doorbell quickly, Gabriella looked around in confusion, before looking over at Troy with a confused look on her face. "There aren't any lights on in the house," She stated, finding that strange.

Troy shrugged as he looked around as well, not thinking too much of it. "Maybe she went to bed already?" He guessed, knowing that his mother-in-law-to-be often worked varied hours and was probably exhausted.

Gabriella shook her head a little. "No, she never goes to bed this early. And she didn't travel at all this week. She may not be home." She guessed, shrugging her shoulders a little as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Troy shrugged his shoulders again, not knowing what to tell his fiance as they turned to walk down the stairs towards the car again. "I don't know, baby. We can come back tomorrow morning and see if she's up." He added, before they heard something crash inside of the house, and both froze and turned back to the house.

Gabriella shot Troy a panicked look, her fingers squeezing his tightly. "Troy!" She exclaimed, worried about her mother, and what might be happening inside of the house. "What's going on?" She asked, seeing Troy shake his head a little to himself.

Confused, Troy tried the handle of the door, finding it locked. "Do you have your key?" He asked, seeing Gabriella nod before pulling her keys from her purse.

She quickly unlocked the door, and followed Troy into the house, pressing herself close to him as they slowly walked through the dark hallway. They saw a flashlight coming from the kitchen, and went in. Troy blocked Gabriella from the kitchen, waiting to see if the light came towards them again.

When it did, Troy didn't have a chance to keep Gabriella from her next move, and winced when she spoke. "Mom?" Gabriella asked, scared of what might be going on or who might be in her mother's kitchen this late at night.

A shocked intake of breath came, before she heard her mother sigh lightly. "Oh, Gabi. The power went out! I was on my way to the fuse box." Maria spoke, a nervous laugh escaping her as she flashed the light at her daughter. "You scared me," She added, resting her hand on her chest.

She became confused when she saw there was someone else in the house as well. She flashed the light at Troy, and gasped, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the young man that was such a huge part of her daughter's life. "Troy!" She exclaimed, surprised and relieved to see her daughter's boyfriend standing in her kitchen.

She quickly made her way around the island, hugging him tightly with tears burning in her eyes as she looked at the handsome man. Troy smiled, hugging his future mother-in-law tightly as she held him close. "Hi Mom," He spoke lightly, referring to the way he has called her mom since he was 20 years old.

He felt her tears against the side of his neck, and laughed a little at the similarity between Gabriella's reaction and her mother's reaction to seeing him for the first time since he left for his deployment.

She rested her hands on his cheeks, a huge smile on her face as she looked in his beautiful eyes. "Oh, I'm so glad you're home safe and sound, sweetie." She whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

Troy smiled a little, nodding his head as she pulled away. "Thank you," He replied, before taking the flashlight from her. "I'll go fix the fuse box. You two stay here." He told the two women, before quickly going into the hallway where he knew the utility box was located in the Montez household.

Maria turned to Gabriella, a huge smile on her face. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming home?" She exclaimed, still smiling as she took in the pure happiness she could see in her daughter's eyes.

Gabriella shook her head a little. "I didn't know. I never got any contact that they found him or that he was back in the US. He surprised me in D.C., and we spent today with his family. We came by here as we were on our way home." She explained, sitting down at the island across from where her mother was standing, with a huge smile on her face.

Maria smiled a little, nodding her head in understanding at how crazy the passed day as been for her daughter and the handsome man she was in love with. "Is he okay?" She asked, her tone serious.

Gabriella sighed, shrugging her shoulders a little. "I don't really know, to be completely honest." She admit, biting her lip. "We haven't really gotten a chance to talk. I mean, he's a little bruised and battered physically, but that should all heal up within the next few weeks." She continued, seeing her mother nod a little at the information.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella continued speaking after a moment of hesitation to make sure that Troy wasn't coming back right away. "The real challenge is going to be getting him to talk and let it out. Getting him to deal with anything he doesn't want to is never easy." She explained, resting back against the counter.

Maria nodded her head a little, understanding her daughter's frustration and the slightest trace of fear that she could see in her eyes. "It's called pride, and a lot of men have the same problem." She explained, barely able to see Gabriella nod her head in the darkness.

"And I'm sure that Troy has plenty of that," Maria added, seeing Gabriella raise her eyebrows before nodding a few times. After another moment, Maria smiled at the happiness she saw glowing in her daughter's eyes. "I haven't seen you this happen in almost a year, baby girl." She whispered, seeing her daughter roll her lips together at the statement.

Before either of them could speak, the lights flickered back on, and Maria grinned. "You're the best, Troy!" She called, earning a laugh from the young man in question, who was already on his way back to the kitchen.

Gabriella lifted her left hand, running it through her hair. She looked over at her mother, who had a shocked look on her face. Confused, Gabriella looked around, thinking someone or something behind her caught her mother's attention. "What? What's wrong?" She asked, confused at the look she was receiving.

Maria shook her head as well, walking towards her daughter with a determined look on her face, causing Gabriella to pull away from her mother slightly as she approached the younger woman. Troy watched from the doorway he just reached with confusion as Maria stalked towards Gabriella.

He then grinned as she grabbed her daughter's left hand, seeing the understanding dawn in Gabriella's eyes almost immediately at the action. Maria stared at the ring on Gabriella's finger, her eyes welling with tears as a huge smile spread across her face.

"How on Earth did you two forget to mention that you're getting married?" She wondered, glancing at the door to the kitchen, where her daughter's future husband was standing with his arms crossed and a grin on his handsome face.

– – – – – – – – – –

Okay, so I am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry that I haven't updated in almost two months! I can't believe how crazy my life has been lately! Easter is coming, and I work at a candy store, so that's been just insane! And school is crazy as well.

I'm going to try to get another chapter or two out, but I'm not sure what's going to happen. I think that the next one will be the last chapter, but we'll see what happens.

Any ideas are more than welcome!

Thanks so much for reading!

- luvinNaley7413


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